Naruko
by FairyTale-Mythology
Summary: Naruko ran from the village before she was put into a genin group and with her went a few other students- while they are out, the Hokage makes some detrimental decisions to better Konoha but will it be enough? Because while the others came back- Naruko was still in Otogakure.


**Disc.-** I do not own Naruto. _Whatsoever_.

**So…-** Naruto is actually Naruko- something the Hokage and a select few know. The Hokage felt she would be safer if she was thought of as a male due to the resemblance she had to the Fourth Hokage, but was horrified and ashamed that his villagers only saw the demon that had attacked their village rather than the jailor. However, the day before she was due to get into a trio for genin, she and a few others disappear. Her friends were released before her, but they won't see Naruko again until the Chuunin exams.

**FYI-** I'm not exactly accustomed to writing Naruto fics, so the writing may be a little sketchy until I'm used to it.

**xxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxx**

The Hokage sighed. Several clan heads had come to him that morning along with the few ANBU he trusted to watch over and protect Naruko. The Third Hokage rubbed his face tiredly, looking at a framed photo of him and the Third- Minato Namikaze, the man's broad grin and playful blue eyes sparkling bright as he thought to himself, _'What a failure I am.'_, he bowed his head and shut his eyes. He sighed, slowly getting up and feeling his age upon him. He had people to contact and clans to reassure.

xxXxx

_(Two nights before)_

They were a small group, not too big but enough to find safety in their number. The blonde girl at the front hummed as she walked along, the others following her silently as her blue eyes watched the clouds pass by in boredom. "Hey hey, where do you think we should go?", she asked the people behind her. These people who followed her. She wasn't sure why they had run with her, but they did and for that she was kind of grateful. Perhaps she could even tell them the truth.

"Where would Gai-sensei go..?", one boy asked, his rather large eyebrows drawing attention to him almost as much as his bowl-cut and green jumpsuit and the orange legwarmers and the matching ones on his arms. Naruko really wasn't sure why he left his precious Gai-sensei (of whom he looked up to greatly) to travel with her, but assumed it had something to do with the 'journeys and follies of youth!' he'd been on about before. But Rock Lee seemed kind enough, if a little over optimistic and enthusiastic. Another of her new companions was a very quiet boy (she'd only heard him talk twice) with black shades on and spiky hair like hers', but in a somewhat dull shade of brown. His collar covered the lower half of his face and he walked closer to her than the others. She was a little suspicious but didn't really mind- she'd never been around people who voluntarily got close to her before and she found it nice. He was Shino Aburame and she had no clue as to why he was going with her. A third member of her new group included Hinata Hyuuga, a girl with dark azure-colored hair and very pale lavender eyes. She was very timid and shy, but she smiled shakily when Naruko was about to escape and held her hand in hers', telling her in a whisper that she was coming too. Apparently, her father thought her a failure, her mother was weak-willed and her heiress status was given to her younger sister Hanabi due to Hinata's lack of confidence- which from what Naruko can gather, was her father's fault anyhow. The last of her new coterie was some strange boy who was extremely pale, and had black eyes that matched his black hair. Naruko wasn't quite sure to think of him- he was stoic and cold and she didn't trust him because he reminded her of that horrid, _horrid_ old man Danzo and she wasn't sure why.

He didn't offer a name until asked and he stared for a few awkward moments before saying, "Sai.", in a blank voice that unnerved the other children (who said they'd never seen him before).

"Where can we go?", Hinata spoke up timidly, glancing up at the blonde. Said blonde tilted her head to the side, humming again.

"Wanna go to Otogakure?", she asked them, turning to walk backwards.

"Oto-? I've never heard of a place like that?", Lee asked her curiously, calming down for a moment to listen. Naruko snorted a bit.

"Of course not- it's apparently extremely dangerous trying to get there, considering it's somewhere in the Land of Sound."

"Land of Sound?", this time it was Hinata who spoke.

"Yeah, apparently it's a place where any ninja can find purpose without worrying about the suppression of the villages. It's where I was planning on going, but if you guys wanna go somewhere else, that's fine.", she shrugged, arms behind her head as she looked to them.

"But we're not ninja yet, Naruto.", Hinata told the other and the girl smiled brightly, stunning her momentarily with its cheerfulness, along with the others.

"No, but we're being trained to be right?", she asked chipperly.

"Why…Did you leave anyway?", Shino asked and immediately the smile disappeared, her lovely blue eyes empty for a few silent moments before forcefully making her lips smile and her eyes to brighten.

"It doesn't matter.", Hinata looked conflicted on pushing the only person who was ever truly nice to her, Rock Lee frowned a bit but didn't press, Shino stopped and stared at her and Sai…Was being Sai. Once Shino stopped, they all stopped to look at him.

"Naruto.", he said simply and the girl looked to him, blinking as she maybe caught something like unease?

"They kept hurting you, didn't they?", Hinata's whisper caught their attention and Naruko remained stoic.

"What?", Lee looked alarmed at that before turning to look at Naruko who was watching Hinata with unreadable eyes.

"…How do you know about that?", it was soft, much softer than the loud, boisterous and slightly rough voice she usually used. Hinata blushed and stuttered for a little bit before taking a deep breath.

"I…I saw them.", she told her, keeping her pale eyes on the ground between her feet and fiddling with her fingers nervously. "It was when we were younger- you were running from them, I think, and they were all drunk and they cornered you…"

"What day was it?"

"October tenth…"

"It isn't usually like that,", she insisted quietly, "They usually aren't that bad."

"But it was your birthday,", Naruko winced.

"How did you know that?"

"That's the day you spend all day in the swing at the Academy.", she told him, "And the day Iruka-sensei tries to convince you to stay at his house for the night. Did he know too?", Naruko twitched. Of course Iruka knew. The entirety of adults at the Village knew. Most of them took part in the beat downs. Because she had to be the demon. The one who destroyed their village and took their family away. It was her fault. They didn't think so they blamed it on her.

Something she'd always wanted to scream was that if she really was the demon, why didn't she fight back? Why didn't she just destroy the whole fucking village, burn it to the goddamn ground?

Because she hated that village. Oh yes, she hated it with every fiber of her being. At the same time, she longed for it to be a place she could call home. But she couldn't. Not until everyone who knew about the Kyuubi were dead or gone. And that would leave a lot of kids orphans- like her. A lot of kids with hate for the one who took away their family. That would leave only a village of children. She shook her head to get rid of the thoughts pervading her and whirled around to face front, fists clenching and unclenching spastically for a moment before she calmed herself.

The ones she would miss were few. Iruka-sensei, her kind teacher who always tried to help. Her nameless, faceless ANBU protectors- though they only came to help her every-so-often, they still did. Teuchi and Ayame from Ichiraku, her ramen place. They were always kind to her there, no matter what all the villagers said or did. And though she was rather bitter about it, she would even miss the Third Hokage.

"Can we not talk about this?", she asked them, not turning to face them. "Why did you guys come with anyways? From what I can understand, you're all part of the Clans. Well…Except Sai.", she said, "But I wasn't friends with any of you- didn't even know you. Why did you come with me?", it was silent. Hinata was the first to speak up, surprisingly.

"They hurt you. But you were still smiling and having fun and trying to be friendly."

"YOSH! You were so young and hip! So energetic and youthful!", Lee cheered passionately, eyes sparkling as he did a 'nice guy' pose.

"…You were intelligent enough to fool others to create elaborate pranks and evade those sent after you.", Shino added, "Why do I bring this up, you ask? Because you will be my friend.", he said imperiously. Naruko blinked at that. Was she just ordered to be his friend?

"You are interesting.", Sai said in his deadpan. This time Naruko showed her incredulity.

"…Do you know the meaning of that word?", she asked him. He didn't deign that with an answer. She shook her head. "Alright…If you apparently like me enough to follow me to a place you didn't even know about before, I guess I should tell you some things.", she said anxiously as she pulled off the goggles on her head and dropping it to the ground. "C'mon,", she sighed as the others ditched their own goggles- except Sai, who didn't have any. She unzipped her jacket and slung it over her shoulder as she once more turned to walk backward. She raised the black tank top to show the seal on her stomach. "See this?"

"A seal?", Hinata asked (despite how she was apparently the shiest there, she certainly seemed more talkative than the others).

"Yep. This is why the villagers all hate me. Do you know what happened on October tenth, twelve years ago?", she asked and Sai was the one who answered.

"The Kyuubi was defeated.", she nodded in response.

"Do you know why they use the word defeated and not killed or destroyed?"

"Are you saying that.", Shino was the first to catch on and say something about it. "You're the demon?"

"**No!**", she yelled with wide blue eyes, "No,", she repeated as she shook her head strongly. "This is a _seal_. The demon was _sealed_ inside of me. I'm not the demon, I'm the _container_.", she told them.

"But if you only contain it, why does-"

"It's in me, they hate it, so they hate me too because it's still alive. Not like it can die anyways.", she shook her head again before her arms once more gravitated up behind her head to cross, shirt still rolled up. "The Nine-Tailed Beasts are all chakra. _Live_, demonic chakra."

"How do you know?"

"The scroll.", she shrugged.

"The-? What scroll?", she adopted a guilty look, turning around and not answering. "Naruto! You can't mean the Scroll of Seals!"

"Mizuki-sensei said if I learned the shadow-clone jutsu, I would pass.", she said guiltily. "I just…I got a little curious and read some more…", she muttered and Sai seemed to twitch, just a little.

"Naruto, those are forbidden for a reason! They're dangerous!", Hinata told her, obviously distressed as she hurried ahead to grab her arm and tug it down. That's when she noticed something. "Are those binds?", she asked as she stared down her shirt. Naruko sighed and decided she may as well tell them now. She was going to anyways- she just wanted the whole 'not-a-demon' thing out of the way.

"Yeah."

"But why would you need binds for your chest? Are you still hurt?", she panicked and Naruko quickly calmed the slightly taller girl down.

"No, no. Not hurt. I heal much faster than most people because of…Well, the seal.", she shrugged.

"Then you're a girl.", Sai said and she nodded again, this time somewhat hesitantly.

"The Hokage said it'd be safer if people thought I was a boy.", she told them before grinning, "But now I don't have to pretend anymore, dattebayo!", she cheered happily. Hinata blinked and Naruko smiled at her, "We can talk like girls do! But,", she paused, "I don't really know what girls talk about."

"The friendship that blooms between two young ladies!", Lee commented with tears in his eyes, "IT IS ONE OF NATURE'S GREATEST BEAUTIES!", he shouted to the world. Hinata patted his back as he continued to cry his tears of youthful joy.

"Um…It's okay?"

"NO! It is MAGNIFICENT!", he told her, startling her again with his loudness.

"…Any…Way,", Naruko said slowly before another smile brightened her cherubic face, "Call me Naruko!"

"Well, that's not too different,", Hinata smiled.

"Or Naru-chan, either one works,", the blond shrugged before once again crossing her arms behind her head. "Shino what do you think? You haven't said anything.", she said, fidgeting for a second. Crystalline blue eyes looked to the ever-stoic (or, really just covered up and hidden) face.

"It is unexpected. No one would have believed it.", he nodded, "Even more proof why your friendship should be mine.", ignoring the…Odd words, she smiled again.

"Right! To Otogakure we go!", they stood there for a few moments.

"Do you even know where it is?"

"…No."

xxXxx

_(Three Months Later)_

"This is it,", Hinata smiled happily. Over the course of the three months she had spent running from Konoha spies and people out looking for them, they had been trying to find out where Otogakure was centered, only knowing it was in the Hidden Village of Sound. She had made vast improvements by the time they had finished their journey, was more confident, but still controlled and kind. She was even a near to being medic-nin by now. They had to learn while they were out and exploring in order to survive and escape Konoha's far-reaching clutches. They had all improved a great deal despite the short period and she was proud of them all.

Socially, Sai improved the most. He smiled and tried to make connections though his first attempts weren't exactly…Kind. Shino explained his bloodline abilities and they had all been fascinated, and he'd been recently making an attempt to learn better with close-combat- something he wasn't fond of- to protect his new 'family'. Lee was…Well, still Lee. Though his taijutsu was _amazing_ and his determination was unstoppable. Thankfully, he had calmed down too and had gotten rid of his ridiculous haircut. He also encouraged them to take up his training and they had all tried- but only he and Naruko kept at it. But really, who could stand having weights so heavy they made _craters_ when you took them off on at all times while still being able to move and walk and run at normal ninja speeds?

Lee, Naruko and apparently Gai-sensei, who introduced Lee to the practice. Though the benefits of using them for training were astounding- they _blurred_ when they took off the weights. And that was just when they were _walking_ without them on. You can't even _see_ them when they so much as jog.

But anyways, Naruko had weights as well and instead of the orange Lee had, she got dark blue ones- she said she didn't want to copy Lee, despite orange being her favorite color and her sulking over it for almost a week solid.

Speaking of Naruko, she was the thing that kept them all together- as cliché as that sounded. She was bright, and bubbly, and _fun_. Almost always optimistic, no matter what and she cherished them all. She had stopped wearing her bindings and though she may not have much going on in that area (she was _twelve_) it was still noticeable and telling of her gender. So she wore her black tank top and her baggy orange pants, usually with her jacket tied around her hips. They had attained, during their travels, two more people who were moved by Naruko and her story- that she shared when she woke up with a boy named Haku and a man named Zabuza after some older and definitely _trained_ nins attacked her when she was out gathering food- and once they heard of her destination, decided to tag along.

While Haku was generally a sweetheart, Zabuza was somewhat cruel and very blunt. But he trained them well in a number of things- though Hinata was extremely reluctant to use the violent methods. He also seemed to care for Haku and Naruko. Well, everyone liked Naruko- there was no way you _couldn't_ like her. Konoha people didn't count. Besides, she had spent nearly a week with them until her friends found them.

'_Naruko could change the world,'_, Hinata thought with a softer, tender smile.

That was when a small group appeared. "Who are you and from where do you hail?", one man asked, bandages covering most of his face and his one visible eye shut. The other two stood beside him silently and as the adult of the group, Zabuza stood and answered, eyeing them warily all the while.

"Zabuza Momochi, from Kirigakure.", he started slowly as one of the woman looked at him with a spark of recognition- as she should. He was a missing-nin after all, not something to be taken lightly. He nodded his head over to his ward, "Haku, from the Land of Water.", he then jerked his chin to each as he told their names, "Hinata Hyuuga, Rock Lee, Shino Aburame, Sai and Naruko Uzumaki, all from Konoha.", the third man's eyes narrowed as he looked at them all closely before nodding to his teammates sharply.

"Welcome to the hidden Village of the Sound- Otogakure.", the woman welcomed them with a commanding air. "Come with me and we shall have you placed in one of the underground areas.", she said as her teammates left through special moves Zabuza recognized as forbidden arts. His dark eyes narrowed but he said nothing, grunting and following the woman wherever she led them. Naruko was frowning though and he glanced down at her, ruffling the still-short hair affectionately while none were looking. She beamed up at him and he could feel his lips curve up into a smile beneath his bandages. She really was a little ball of sunshine with her bright yellow hair and her sky-blue-but-brighter eyes. The woman guiding them was soon using a jutsu too fast for him to see and a hole appeared in the ground. He frowned, his hold on Naruko's shoulder and Haku's tightening. He didn't trust this. Judging by the way the other kids sort of tightened into a pack, neither did they. Nevertheless, they pushed on. A suspicious opening wasn't enough to get them to run.

But what they would find inside was, and it would be too late.

xxXxx

"Glad to see you've taken my words seriously.", Sarutobi said to them coldly. Both were former students- not his best student, not his favored one- but his students. Both adults winced at the icy tone he sported in his grave voice. "You, as the man's self-proclaimed 'father', and you Tsunade-", he shook his head in disappointment. He knew what she'd done. Minato was her child- and she threw him in an orphanage. He was the result of a drunken night with, ironically, Jiraiya. She had been shamed by this and got rid of the child, never telling the man who viewed his prodigy as a son anyways. "And now, you've abandoned a child you've both sworn to protect."

"Sensei-"

"I offered you both the guardianship- you both _refused_. I've asked every year until the poor child was five.", he went on, beginning to pace as the two sat, fidgeting in the chairs in front of his desk. "I never told Naruko about you- I didn't want to get her hopes up for nothing and now I'm glad I was silent on the matter. While I may not have handled her as well as I could have- _I was still there for her_. She had her own ANBU guard protecting her from the worst of the villagers. Those spiteful, vicious villagers…", he murmured, glaring at the stretch of floor that he continued to pace. "I never should have listened to the elders regarding her- she was far too valuable. Far too _precious_. And for what? That she was hated every day for saving the people of the village that she was so staunchly determined to be the Hokage of someday? The people that she hoped and longed to accept her, when by all rights, they should worship her?", he shook his head, "No, I should have never listened to them…", then he paused, glaring at them. "Now she's gone! _Gone_ because she knew precious few cared! She could have had a loving home- could have had people to protect her from the crimes of the villagers, but she had nobody but the people who could look past a seal she never wanted- should never been forced to wear!", he snapped at them, years of frustration coming out as he trembled in his rage. "Well, no more! This village will _learn_ or it will crumble! There will be no more lacking! No more leniency! It is time for Konoha to live up to its' old glory- and they shall see what they had willingly turned away.", he said with a vengeful snarl that frightened the two. They had never before seen such rage in his eyes as they did then. But they said nothing, not wanting to risk the ire of the old man.

But what Sarutobi had promised, he would fulfill. Even if his village hated him for it.

xxXxx

"Naruko….", came the quiet sing-song voice, "Naruko-chan, please wake up now.", the girl groggily opened her eyes to see a silver-haired teen leaning over her with a friendly smile. "Ah, you've awoken. We were a bit worried.", he told her and she glared at him balefully.

They- her entourage and her- had been here for a few weeks now, maybe even a month or so, and Naruko had made a deal with that slimy snake. She would be in his little experiments (something he was ecstatic about- she guessed it had to do with the fact her body either had to accept the modifications or die and as she held Kyuubi- the demon didn't want to die with her) if he left her friends alone. Oh, they were still trapped, but they wouldn't be harmed or ostracized during their stay.

She had, in the short span, been put through three different experiments in Orochimaru's excitement. Hopefully they'll give her a bit more time before the next. She wasn't quite sure what it was considering that according to the mirror Kabuto brought her to, she hadn't physically changed since her first operation- though that was only visible when she opened her mouth or smiled. She looked up at him questioningly and he smiled down at her, pushing the sleeve of her too-large shirt (they'd given her new clothes as she was a special experiment) over her shoulder and she sucked in a harsh breath, hissing. Well…Now she knew why she hadn't seen it earlier.

"This is an ability one of Orochimaru-sama's old coworkers had, just like the last two. He managed to get some samples but precious little.", he said and she picked up with a huff.

"So he needed someone who would be able to survive with the ability rather than waste it.", he smiled again, nodding. "What is it?", she asked him then. If she was getting strange abilities she may as well know how to use them right? She would continue to remain obedient until such a time came that they could escape.

And they would escape. She was sure of that.

xxXxx

"Naru-chan,", Hinata said softly, watching the girl stare at the strange stitches that her body now possessed. Beside her, Haku was also watching worriedly. It had been a privilege in this place, but they kept all of them together- except Naruko. She had her own cell across from them, away from their reassurances of touch. Their weapons had been taken and the seals carved into the walls made sure they didn't break out with their jutsu. Not that they would be able to get far with so many on the Curse Seal. "What are those?", blue eyes looked up at her and the girl sighed, shifting from her sitting position to kneel and tug her long sleeves up. The stitches were in a few places- around her biceps and thighs, along with her throat, almost creating a collar. Each wrist also seemed to have them but in the dim light, Hinata almost couldn't tell and she didn't want to use her Byakugan to check for something the other girl would tell them and she didn't see the ones on her ankles.

Then her hand shot out, and grabbed onto the bar in front of Hinata and Haku. Black threads were what connected her hand back to her and they fell back in surprise at the sudden movement and appendage. On her other arm, black threads crawled up outside of her shirt from her bicep, clawing at the air and waiting for instruction. She brought her arm back and retracted the strange threads.

"Kabuto said it was the Earth Grudge Fear, some kinjutsu. I'm made of threads now.", she told them, her lips pursing into a hard line. "As if the first two weren't bad enough…"

The first thing they did to her- it was something she'd gotten drained by. She was awake for that one, and though it stung a bit from where the strange scale-thing had, it was what the effect was. It drained her chakra and she was lucky she had such massive stores or she'd have possibly died by it. She had to admit it was pretty though- a lovely color of a deep crimson. Strange considering the original coloring was a nice and light blue. It wasn't as favored as her beloved orange though. Never as her beloved orange. They hadn't told her why they needed the weird thing that kind of looked like a little dagger after it was all over, and she had gained very sharp pointy teeth. All she knew was that that was what began Orochimaru's indulgence of her. Her second one didn't physically alter her, much to her silent relief. Instead, it gave her what Kabuto called chakra strings.

That's when one of the guards came by, Kabuto following calmly as he stopped in front of her cell again.

"Hello, Naruko-chan.", he greeted warmly, "Today there'll be a class you will attend. Your friends are welcome to join?", he asked, turning his head back to look at them. Naruko knew that to be a test. They didn't put seals on her cell and they were testing her to see if they could trust her with more knowledge and some of the more dangerous abilities without trying to run or use them against them.

"What class?", Zabuza asked warily, eyeing the kid. He didn't trust that smile for a second- the kid was bad news.

"One in puppetry.", he smiled over at them as the guard opened Naruko's cell. She moved next to Kabuto, looking in at them pleadingly that at least one would go in with her. She knew Zabuza wouldn't- he was much too proud to go to a class with a bunch of children and younger teens. Sai was interested immediately- they had learnt he had a liking to art and was quite good at it- incorporating it into his fighting. Rock Lee was his optimistic self and volunteered while Shino shifted farther into the cell. He didn't want to go, and Haku remained behind as well as Hinata. Still, she got two of them and she smiled at them all to show no hard feeling and gratitude. Sai slipped next to her as Lee gave another impassioned cry on the talent of youth.

"Naru-chan,", he began as he slipped his arm around her waist and she glanced at him, well used to his antics by now. "Do you like puppets?", he asked her curiously, shut fox-like eyes looking conveying curiosity.

"I've never really seen one or anything, but I think it'd be kinda cool.", she told him in response, leaning against him comfortably. "What do you think?", she then asked and he smiled down at her, delighted to share his own formed opinion.

"I'm curious,", he admitted and she nodded happily in response, ignoring the cells they passed and the children and teens trapped in them. Rock Lee behind them was steadily looking ahead, keeping in mind that they would be out soon and the things to be learned here. They- their captor- leave medical books in their cells. Things like human anatomy were carefully explained and Naruko had been eager to learn it all. They were quite a few uses for such knowledge after all.

The class itself wasn't too difficult and she got lost in the creation, giving painstaking attention to detail and places to hide weapons and such. The puppet was bigger than herself, decidedly male and she was careful to make sure he was big and muscular and intimidating- something she herself was not. Toned and slim, rather pretty actually, Naruko didn't like being targeted for her seemingly delicate appearance (pixie-like at this age, but the old man had always muttered that once she grew a bit older they wouldn't be able to use just bindings to hide her figure) and wanted something scary and large to combat that with. Kabuto was impressed by her skill but she had not been so easily swayed by it. She still saw the rougher edges and the things that would need tinkering but she couldn't stay for too long.

xxXxx

"People of Konoha.", he said gravely, Danzo standing just to his side with a slightly smug air about him. He had always told Sarutobi he was too soft- especially regarding the jinchuriki. Danzo had wanted the child into training immediately and away from the villagers themselves and deep underground with his other teams and with ROOT. While the Hokage may not agree with many of his thoughts, he was making leeway after so long and that was all that mattered. Right now, everyone was gathered under the Hokage's orders. Including the Council. Most of them were civilians and stuck to the old traditions and ways, bringing them down. Overindulgence for the important clans and for the rest? Pah, let them become cannon fodder. They also restricted a number of jutsu that could massively improve their shinobi. The Academy only taught the barest of basics and left their ninja woefully weak compared to the other Hidden Villages- the only thing they had going was that every so often, a powerful one with a good heart would crop up and that no matter what, they always bounced back from what happened to them. Well, no more! Haha!

"I am here to address something that I have let by.", he bowed his head slightly as their villagers interests were peaked, the ANBU standing behind him protectively stoic and silent. Then he looked up and that sharp, cutting disdain shocked them. "This village has turned into nothing more than lazy men and women who expect everything to be done for them!", he boomed, "Children who think it their right to get into high positions for their name alone! Precious few have the talent to be exceptional and when they do- they think it enough that they do not need the extra training, the discipline, and hard-work! Nothing but pushy villagers who fancy themselves something noble and good!", he snarled as the crowd looked on in horror. "But it shall cease! And it will begin today- training will be amped to fit their ages rather than slowly letting them grow with them with teachers who give all the same training! Specialized training will begin and it will no longer work by ages- it will work by skill and ability! Civilians will be taught that all nin are to be respected for their power and protection- and they will learn why the Village Hidden in the Leaves is a shinobi village!", his dark eyes roamed those gathered. "I have let your lethargy get by for far too long, your _ingratitude_ slip by for far too long!"

"But, Hokage-sama-", one man began only for furious eyes to set on him, making him wince and take a step back.

"Do you know the thing that made me finally realize that my inaction is deteriorating my village?", he asked quietly, a wildness in his eyes. "It was with the loss of Minato Namikaze's daughter.", there were gasps all around. "The one born by a woman who protected our village with her life- who came from her own land when Konoha had already given up on her own- very well _betrayed_ Uzushiogakure!- and a woman who you scorned for birthing a 'demon',", he sneered down at them all.

"The Uzumaki bitch?", one woman shrilled in incredulous anger. "The Yondaime would never touch that filthy little-", suddenly there were three ANBU surrounding the woman, kunai held against vital areas. She squeaked in terror.

"MINATO LOVED THAT WOMAN!", his boiling rage had now exploded into pure fury as his chakra pulsed out in angry waves. "HOW DARE YOU MAKE SUCH ASSUMPTIONS ABOUT A MAN SUCH AS HE!", a hand on his shoulder calmed him slightly and he looked over at Danzo, who nodded. Sarutobi took a deep breath.

"…Y-you said…You said _daughter?"_, came the shaky voice of Mikoto Hyuuga. The Hokage looked at her impassively. He knew she was one of Kushina's closest friends before the Kyuubi attack. She was a highly successful shinobi, would have made a _wonderful_ ANBU- if she hadn't bowed to her line and allowed herself to be married and become nothing more than an obedient housewife under the pressure of her family.

"Yes. Naruko Uzumaki. Her name would have been her father's,", his venomous glare turned to the civilian council then, "Had it not been for them. I never should have let you have your way,", he sneered down at them. "You do not understand the seals, nor the difference between jinchuriki and bijuu!", he scowled. "Had that child been the demon, do you not believe the village would have been razed to the ground as it was!? Do you think the Yondaime sacrificed himself only to have his sacrifice _defiled_ by the village he died for to protect!?", he demanded, throwing his arms wide. "I wonder sometimes it would have been better for the whole village to have burned!"

There were frightened whispers at that and then he rapidly cooled, his cold gaze piercing them thoroughly.

"Regardless of that- the Council is hereby disbanded.", there were soon protests coming about and he glared down at them harshly, the ANBU behind him shifting into offensive stances, frightening the crowd. "Do not forget that this is not a democracy. We are under the Fire Lord.", he told them freezingly. He had had enough. "As for the new Genin- you will be put on different teams so I suggest you don't get too comfortable- your training will be pushed up.", he said before allowing Danzo to speak, standing back with his ANBU and watching the reactions of the villagers. Quite a number were still in shock and would not be able to fully comprehend his words until they were safe at home to think it all over.

xxXxx

_(Meanwhile…)_

"Naruko-chan,", the tall and lean man purred as Kabuto brought her in. His yellow-golden eyes glinted as she sat before him and he laced his fingers, smiling at her. "I have a proposition to make.", she looked up at him with wariness but larger than that- curiosity. He chuckled sinisterly. So far she had been a good little girl, never complaining and using her powers as told when the other scientists and medics told her to so they could observe. And she was particularly well with the fights she participated in. From what he knew- and he knew quite a bit- she hadn't told her friends about that, nor of what exactly her fourth operation had given her.

The Sharingan was of great power and she had awoken it recently- two weeks after getting the transfusion. It was not easy to gain the samples he needed for it but he still obtained it. Though it was not the same as Itachi's, it was still quite formidable and she was learning jutsu from her opponents- who knew more than she at the moment- and using that information well. Her eyes didn't change like those of the Uchiha clan though- no, they remained that simply wonderful hue and instead gained the comma formations. He assumed it was because it was a bit diluted but still, it made it better as it was harder to spot without the red eyes.

That he had formed an attachment with her eyes meant nothing.

"If you convince the Hyuuga to give some of her blood- and you become a nin of the Sound- I will let them go.", he said charmingly as he leant forward and watched her frown.

"…What would you need her blood for?"

"Why, for comparison of course. I don't need much, if it makes you feel any better.", he tossed in casually.

"And you'll just let them go?", she asked incredulously. He was pleased that she said nothing about her joining him. "Without harming them, or-"

"Without touching them. On that note, they will be on their own once they head out. We will give them their weapons back and allow them another shower before they depart but they will be otherwise ignored.", he shrugged lightly. The suspicion didn't decrease but he waited for an answer.

"…If Hinata agrees.", she said at last and he smiled brightly to her.

"Good! If all goes well, your friends will be out of here by the end of the day and we'll have you started on the next transfusion…"

xxXxx

"Hinata,", Naruko had a slight whine in her voice as she looked at her pleadingly but neither she nor her other friends were listening. They would not leave her behind. Zabuza was looking at her carefully though and nudged Haku. The boy looked up to him and he gave a look. Haku's brown eyes glared up at him but he nodded nonetheless.

"Naruko-chan,", the girl looked up at Haku, "We'll see you again won't we?", relieved at his break, she nodded quickly. He couldn't keep her locked up in here forever after all. "Then we can't argue much can we?", he gave a sigh and the others (barring Zabuza) looked at him disbelievingly.

"What?", Lee frowned. "But abandoning our comrade- our _friend_ makes us-"

"Worse than scum!", Hinata said strongly, white eyes (tinted a faint lavender) flashing at the insinuation of leaving Naruko. The blonde sighed, rubbing at her temples for a moment.

"Please?", she finally gave her voice the full whine as she looked up with her large blue eyes watery. "You'll see me again- and you're not abandoning me if I'm _telling_ you to leave! I'll be fine here! Besides, I need to learn how to use these new powers so I don't cause an accident,", she reasoned, her eyes getting impossibly wider, the bronze lashes thick around the vivid eyes. Hinata looked indecisive and Sai came forth, holding the bars between that and actually opening his eyes and looking at her intently. After a few moments, he nodded to himself and pulled her into an awkward hug.

"Whatever you wish, Naru-hime!", he chimed brightly. Shino was looking over to them before pushing Sai away and taking his place as he hugged her, whispering in her ear.

"You will see us again. We will not go against you, no matter what you choose.", he told her before letting go and nodding curtly. He was still a bit socially awkward- but weren't they all in their own ways? She smiled brightly at him and looked at the other two. Lee was crying- again.

"YOUR BRAVENESS MAKES THIS SOUL _FEEL_ THE YOUTH!", he wailed, throwing himself at the bars between them and squeezing her tightly. She looked to Hinata as Lee continued to cry into her shirt. She looked conflicted but sighed, nodding her head and sticking her arm out to Kabuto. He nodded, taking the syringe and collecting the sample.

"Very good.", he said with his smile, "Now you'll all be cleaned up, taken outside and given your weapons- including the ones you made.", he directed this to Sai and Lee (who still clung to Naruko).

"Really, Lee, I'll be fine,", she was trying to calm him down, patting his head as he continued his sobbing.

xxXxx

"Now for the last upgrade…", Orochimaru smiled sinisterly. "This,", he said as he showed her a vial, "Belongs to a man named Hidan. This will give you immortality just as much as Kakuzu's powers did. I just hope you don't end up with his mouth,", he mused aloud before smiling down at her again and plunging in the needle and her world went black for him to work, Kabuto at his side as usual.

So when she woke, neither male was there and she shook her head a bit, groaning at the ache. She stood shakily, moving over to the big mirror to see if anything had happened. She wasn't altered- but her hair was. Her wide blue eyes took in the color it was now. Still blonde of course, but…She frowned as she touched the spiky and soft hair. It was now a very nice whitish sort of blonde, and so were her once bronze eyelashes and it popped against her tanned skin. She used to be so proud that she had the brightest hair- Ino's had nothing on hers'. It was still brighter than Ino's, but it wasn't…The golden and bright color she was used to. She sighed to herself, dragging a hand down her face as she thought, _'At least I still have my eye-color…'_

xxXxx

She snarled at her opponent, the long threads shooting out and trapping them in the air as they struggled. But the child had blades shooting from his mouth- his tongue were she bothered to look closer. She cursed heartily (the guards didn't filter their language) as she was forced to drop the boy as she strengthened the threads again. Finally, she just dashed forward, a slash against arm making her smirk and laugh a bit- which is when the blood fell on her tongue.

Soon her body wouldn't obey her command to move and she as looked down, she was shocked to see her skin had been dyed utterly black, white streaks marking themselves as bones would. Her feet were moving unbeknownst to her at first, but she looked down to see a circle with what appeared to be a backwards triangle but she just couldn't seem to move from said circle. She frowned before the tongue/knife/dagger slashed at her head in a way most foul as her head toppled off, landing near her feet. The black threads wiggled from her cleanly-cut neck and to her astonishment- she watched as the boy's own head was violently cut off. Then the black and white were fading from her persistently tanned skin and she blinked. Kabuto came over to her, gently picking up her head and propping it on her neck again where the threads sealed together. He smiled down at her.

"Time to learn about the Jashin religion.", was all he said as he began to lead her out.

xxXxx

"Hokage-sama!", came the surprised voice as he swept through the room, smiling at the children before sparing a glance for the three strangers. Danzo had claimed the one with the palest skin was one of his trained orphans.

"Good afternoon.", he said as his eyes scanned through them. He knew she wasn't there but felt inclined to look- to make sure. He knew he shouldn't have expected her- the reports had told him so- but there was still the little bubble of hope crushed by disappointment and worry. "I see you've returned with no damage?", he asked. Once again, the reports covered everything but still. Heads were shaken and he nodded. "Very good. May I ask who your…_Friends_, are?", he asked, looking pointedly at the tall man with the bandages and the rather effeminate teen with him.

"That's Zabuza and Haku.", Hinata spoke up, "They met up with us a few weeks after we left.", she said boldly, her white eyes looking at him challengingly as her mother gasped and her father looked shocked, along with her cousins from the branch.

"I see.", he said delicately, "And how did you meet?"

"Through Naru-hime.", Sai spoke up from where he leant against the wall next to the window. The older man blinked at the nickname but nodded nonetheless.

"Care to elaborate?", he asked him, going to sit in one of the hospital chairs. They'd been detained of course, after having been found and grilled.

"Haku found her lying in a clearing one day, brought her back.", Zabuza grunted, not trusting them at all. He'd heard what happened to Naruko here. The raw, uncut version. "We waited for her to wake up, spent the week together than these little idiots barge in, demanding we give back their 'Naru-hime',", he snorted, looking pointedly at Sai. He only smiled.

"We were under the impression they kidnapped Naruko.", Shino spoke up.

"Ah.", he nodded once more before looking around. "Where is Rock Lee?"

"YOUTH!", they heard the distant shout of Gai, "YOU HAVE SHOWN YOUR AWESOME HIPNESS!"

"THANK YOU, GAI-SENSEI! IT IS ALL THANKS TO NARUKO'S BRAVERY AND DETERMINATION!", then the 'nice-guy' laughter of both.

"There are two of them?", Zabuza's frustrated and slightly horrified voice made Hinata give a soft laugh as Shino actually snorted at that. Everyone knew of Gai Might in Konoha.

xxXxx

"Dattebayo?", she asked, curious as she blinked, looking at what was presented to her. Orochimaru sat at his desk, looking endlessly amused as Kabuto presented her with the hitai-ate of Sound. The music note was much more refined compared to some of the other symbols and she said so, gaining laughter from Orochimaru and a soft chuckle from Kabuto.

"How do you want to wear it?", he asked her and she squinted, brushing the long strands out of her eyes as she thought. She'd need a haircut soon. She shrugged, looking at Orochimaru questioningly. He smiled and answered.

"Put it around her neck.", he commanded and his personal medic-nin obeyed, tying it at the end and she smiled up at them. It was tight enough that her stitches were covered- but more than that he liked that people saw she belonged to _him_ and _his_ village. A smug sense welled up in him at that. He had created her, he had been the one to realize her potential and give her power and he was the one she went to for information. Advice, she usually got from Kabuto though.

She smiled blindingly bright and incredibly vicious with the sharp rows of teeth she possessed. Yes, his treasured creation.

xxXxx

(Time Skip)

"The Chuunin exams are coming up…", she murmured to herself worriedly as she wondered yet again if she would see Naruko. Her cousin, Neji, frowned at her expression; ever since she had returned, she had been firm-set in her own beliefs and as her confidence went up, so did her skills and power. For her to look so self-conscious was…Odd.

"Why are you worried? You're a Hyuuga; we won't lose.", he told her but she shook her head, dark bluish-indigo hair long and up in a ponytail.

"That's not what I'm worried about.", she told him. Recently, he had been getting along with her, which she was shocked by- but supposed it had something to do with his father's imprisonment. His plotting of Hanabi's death was enough to get him down in the Konoha cells for the rest of his days. Her own father had changed a bit after her return and her new attitude. He didn't quite have that _loathing_ in his eyes when he looked at her now. "I'm worried about Naruko.", Neji sighed. When he had first been trying to befriend her, he had no idea what to talk about- so he asked if she really traveled with Uzumaki. She had gotten all excited and proceeded to tell him every little thing that had happened, only stopping when they got to their imprisonment, where she clammed up.

Hinata, nor the others, talked about where they went or when exactly they were captured- not what they saw, not what they heard, not if anything was done to them: _nothing_. It wasn't out of a sense of loyalty to Orochimaru, oh no. It was a certain damnable seal that had, at some point, been given to them. Unless someone didn't know of what happened already, they wouldn't be able to talk about it, nor would they be able to speak of it when there was someone who didn't know nearby.

But aside from that, those two foreign nin had stayed in Konoha, going on missions and what not, keeping in town, scaring the villagers. Though the village was now so much stricter and much tougher, the civilians were miserable- the shinobi were the ones with all the power- and for good reason. Many things had been revealed after the council disbanded. Most of them were very much _underhanded_ things. Very _criminal_ things. He frowned to himself before shaking his head, trying to focus.

"Why are you worried about Uzumaki?", he asked her and she looked at him before sighing.

"Because I want her to be there, but I don't want to somehow face her.", she told him with a frown. "And where's sensei and our teammate?", she asked, looking around as if to spot them. He frowned as well.

"I'm not sure, but they were supposed-", before he could say anymore, Sasuke Uchiha was there. He blinked at them lethargically.

"Hey.", he greeted before looking around. "Where's-", a pop heralded the arrival of their Team Leader- Kakashi Hatake. As someone with experience and intelligence with dojutsu, he was selected for this particular group. "Hn.", the onyx-eyed teen grunted, narrowing his eyes as he shoved his hands into his pockets. The silver-haired man raised an eyebrow.

"And how are my favorite students doing?", he drawled boredly, reading his Icha Icha Paradise as Neji made a face at the book, knowing what it was.

"Kakashi-sensei, do you know if Naru-chan will be in the Chuunin exams?", Hinata asked, looking up at him with her big doleful eyes. He blinked in surprise at the question, before uneasy guilt stole over his visible features before he relaxed again. He shrugged carelessly but felt tense at the possibility. The girl looked down, crestfallen and it was strange to see her in such a state when she had been so confident and sure of herself before, plowing through with sheer will.

Don't get him wrong, she was still sweet, kind and gentle but the moment you threaten anything she thinks of as precious- she's a vicious little shit. Or if you talk bad about Naruko. Then she'll hurt you. _Badly_.

He sighed to himself before beginning to lecture them lightly, then telling them to go to one of the training grounds.

xxXxx

Kiba sighed as Choji continued on with his eating, looking then over at the third member of their team, Shino. All three were paired due to their abilities- Choji with his family's special jutsu, his own family and their dogs and Shino with the bugs. He shuddered as he thought that. Akamaru was plagued with flees whenever he annoyed the other boy. It used to be for every group there was a girl- but since the Hokage had made that announcement, it had all changed. He suppressed another sigh before yelping as their instructor popped in to tell them what training ground before poofing away. They'd gotten used to that- of course they have, because if they were late, she'd have their heads. She was dead-set on being the best of all the other teams. Kurenai was really much too hard on them but with the new rules- she was actually making it easier for them.

xxXxx

Ino scowled at her teammate. For good reason. Shikamaru was being his usual lazy ass and was late while she was stuck there with the two 'green beasts' doing nice-guy poses. Vaguely, she wondered how billboard-brow was faring with her own team- with Neji-fangirl TenTen and the ever-creepy Sai. He was hot, totally, but he was seriously a dick sometimes. And he always went on about 'Naru-hime', comparing everyone and what they do to her. Truthfully, she was a little bitter that someone who saw flaws in everyone and everything practically worshipped a girl he hadn't even seen for a few years now!

But she shook her head, refocusing on her own team. She could understand her and Shikamaru- after all, she had her jutsu of taking over another person, and Shikamaru had his shadow manipulation and intelligence- but Lee? Seriously? What did he have? Taijutsu! Granted he was pretty good at it, but…Well, he was also good at close-combat so she supposed it was a bit better. She sighed then, rubbing at her forehead.

xxXxx

But with Sakura and her own team, she was currently berating her teammates. TenTen was daydreaming about Neji and Sai was drawing. But not his usual jutsu-drawings. No, it was speculations to how his 'Naru-hime' looked by now. She grit her teeth, frustrated beyond belief. And their sensei _wasn't fucking helping!_ She plastered a smile on her face as her inner-Sakura screamed and raged, thinking of various ways in which to slowly disembowel them.

"Ne, ne! If we do well enough in the Chuunin exams, I'm sure Hyuuga and Uzumaki will be impressed with how hard you both worked!", she said to them. She herself was doing the dangerous task for only that though she considered her daydream to be better than the other two- Sasuke liked power and if she showed that, he'll finally notice her. Her words got their attention though. TenTen squealed at the prospect. Sai merely tipped his head to the side.

"Naru-hime wouldn't care about that.", he told her. "Ugly.", he added and a tic formed but she kept her smile in place.

"It's been a while, hasn't it Sai? She'd probably like to see how far you've come, ne?", she asked him and he considered this for a few moments before another of his smiles formed. "Then let's train!", she said and both nodded- she internally growled, _'Finally!'_

xxXxx

"I don't want to see Konoha.", she said quietly. Orochimaru nodded, tying it behind her head so her eyes were covered by the hitai-ate. She had wanted to cut all of her beautiful hair off but he had managed to convince her not to- he loved her long hair. By now it was just below her waist, the weight of the length keeping it orderly. The soft buttery-yellow stands that mixed in with the white-blonde ones made beautiful tones in it and he buried his hand into the thick pale locks, curling it around his fist but making sure not to tug or pull at it. Bandages covered her body and soon her hair would also be hidden away, coiled up inside a mask that didn't allow for other dojutsu to be used on her; nor would any sound-based attack be able to burst through and any poisonous gases wouldn't get past. The face was black, with a white musical note over where her mouth would be and the two shiny black slits for her eyes to see through- had she not decided to cover them up. The only places the bandages were absent were at her ankles, feet and fingers and at the portion of her head where her glorious hair cascaded down. He twisted up her hair before slipping the mask on over it. He rubbed her shoulders then, leaning forward against her slim back. Her body and figure weren't bound like it was when she had to pretend to be a boy but still tight against her.

"You will defeat your enemies.", he said factually, resting his head against hers and nuzzling through the mask. She gave a nod. "You will be a candidate and become recognized Chuunin.", he murmured as his arms wrapped around her waist.

Naruko was something that was constant and he didn't want her to leave him. He wasn't romantically inclined, nor did he see her as a daughter or sister; not a friend or protégé. Despite her age compared to his- she was his mother. He could act as he wanted when alone with her, could hug and be scared or worried. He trusted her with his life, his worries, his secrets- _everything_. And he didn't care what others thought about that- they called him a cold-blooded monster with an unstable mind already, why not make him out to be some creep as well? He buried his face between her shoulder-blades and mumbled into her back that she could not die or decide to leave. She remained passive and calm in his grip- she had gotten used to it. Her attitude had been changed when he first cried in front of her, grabbing her closer and hiding his face in her stomach as his body was wracked with silent sobs. That's when she began to calm down. When she became The Mother. She sang to him, then, while he cried. And he eventually calmed down. She had smiled down at him and he looked up at her with his wide, watery golden eyes before crushing himself to her. That's when he whispered, "Mother…", to her. That's when she began to take the role. When her childhood- already stripped away- was replaced with a sense of motherhood. Oh, she'd not had any children, but soon she was maternal to everyone in Otogakure. She comforted them when she passed, she helped them when they struggled and she was always humming or singing. Rare was it that she was silent. Even now, she hummed lightly, barely heard but he felt it through her body.

But everyone called her Mother now. Naruko didn't quite fit as it used to. The '-chan' suffix no longer quite fit either. She was _Mother_ now. She could also tolerate Uzumaki from those who weren't inclined to call her Mother. Though not many refused to call her the honorific.

"'Maru-kun.", she said smoothly and he shifted his head in acknowledgment. "We must be getting ready now.", she chided gently and he nodded, moving away slowly and letting her up from where she knelt. He dressed her first- though the only thing she actually wore was a high-collar black leotard with long kimono sleeves that covered her delicate hands from view over her bandaged body. She didn't even wear sandals- preferring to feel the ground under her (though he'd never bothered to contest her- despite that it probably wasn't good for her) though her dark sapphire colored weights never left her. Normally, he'd demand that they be grey or black- the monotone colors of Otogakure. But, he'd incorporated the color blue into their wear. He'd taken the idea from Akatsuki with their painted nails- and he'd made them all have that dark shade of blue. That also went for claws (his experiments had many extensions), scales (he'd had a bit of a time with genetically altering them again for the color- it wasn't all too hard, but it was time-consuming; thank Kami for other scientists) and some went so far as to coloring their hair the silky tone of blue. A few tongues may have also been dyed, but that wasn't important.

Anything for Mother, though her favorite color was still quite firmly _orange_. He'd drawn the line at that. Kunai and other weapons hid in the large sleeves against her arms. He sighed but knew better than to argue as her seals were kept around her neck. They held her puppets- her human puppets. They were all dead, but still- if they weren't, she wouldn't have created them and considering the jutsu and kekkei genkei they were very valuable. Much better than merely dissecting them and hoping one of the other subjects would accept the transfusion. Besides, no one in Konoha would recognize them if she was forced to bring them out- they were all grotesque with the experiments he performed on them, monster-like in appearance. Except for her favorite doll.

The second doll she ever made (not a human one)- as her first was given to one of the other children- looked as she did when she was a little girl (four, five at most) had she been able to show she was a girl. With bright blonde hair in cute pigtails and blue gems for the eyes, it was named Kazumi- a pretty name for it, and fitting as when its' mouth opened a music box was triggered and tunes began playing (Lilium, if he recalled) as noxious smoke came out with it- a fume that knocked the opponent out straight upon reaching the lungs. Aside from that were the buzz saws inside the wrists and ankles, a larger and third coming from the abdomen. The dark-brown wooden doll wore a pretty, innocent white dress, and whiskers were lightly carved into the cheeks. It was her favorite, despite it being just a normal puppet.

He sighed while getting into his Kage outfit, purple and shifting into the more human-appearance of his host. He grumbled but she wrapped her arms around his waist, leaning against him as she tilted her head up. He smiled again, caressing the mask gently. She gave a slow hum at that.

"Mother, you won't disappoint me. I know.", he told her, kneeling again to hug her completely, head pressed against her chest like a kitten seeking attention. Her arms came around again, holding him there in a caring and tender embrace, fingers brushing through silky, inky hair. There was a knock at the door to their shared room (Orochimaru, while having gotten used to everyone calling her that and treating her as such, was still quite possessive of her and didn't trust the others had she been in her own room). "Enter.", he said, not bothering to move from his comfortable spot pressing against her. Kabuto came through, bowing at the waist before straightening and smiling at them.

"Time to go.", Naruko nodded, letting go and then strapping Samehada (it was too large now to go on her hip- it was the entire length of her leg but she kept it bandaged as well, something Orochimaru suggested) on her back.

xxXxx

"-so I know about everyone here.", he smiled. Pretending to be a repeat contender was extremely easy, especially with four of the people that knew he was really working for Orochimaru not being able to say anything about it.

"Really? Then how many people are competing?", Sasuke scoffed as Hinata, Lee, Shino and Sai were watching him warily.

"153.", he said without hesitation. "87 from Konoha, 30 from Suna, 21 from Ame, 6 from Kusa, another six from Taki and only 3 from Oto.", he then added on, shuffling his cards. "And I have a card for each one.", Sasuke narrowed his dark eyes for a moment.

"What about for Rock Lee? And Gaara?", he demanded and the older boy smiled, pulling the two out easily from all of them, and was about to recite what he had when another voice popped in.

"Wait, wait- before all that…Do you have Uzumaki Naruko?", this was asked by ever bullheaded Ino, her hands on her purple-clad hips. He blinked for a moment. Before shrugging and pulling out another card.

"I do.", he said, eyeing her suspiciously for a moment before smiling again. "She's-"

"Alright! In you all go, c'mon!"

xxXxx

After an explanation of what was going on, along with a few people leaving, they were sat down with quite a few people watching over them, keeping an eye on them. Ibiki, who stood at the front, let his narrow eyes pass by them- lingering on a few. Three were caught cheating already. Then, they were offered to leave now because if they failed the exam- they would never get to try again. But for the most part, they were skilled in looking over the others or just smart enough to know. Soon enough the time was up and he smirked at the nervous, calm or relieved faces.

The real purpose of the entire thing was to test their information-gathering skills and decision-making- because those questions were too difficult for normal genin. So, there were a few Chuunin placed through them as a reliable source. And then, when offered to leave and try again or fail and never try again, it was a test of resolve and if they were willing to take the risk- should they have decided to stay, they _automatically_ pass.

xxXxx

The next part wasn't so easy. "Heads up, boys and girls, this is no time to be celebrating!", called an ashen-haired woman as she burst through the door during Ibiki's speech. She was _early_. "I'll be your next proctor. Anko Mitarashi. You ready for the second test? Good! Then let's go, follow me!"

Soon they were led out by what was commonly known as the Forest of Death (that is, the 44 training ground). After freaking out the participants, they were ushered inside- with a goal. They were to acquire two scrolls- Scroll of Heaven and Scroll of Earth to move on to the next stage. This would pit them against one another, but Kabuto commented that teams could also gather more than one copy of each and then trade them for information on other villages or give to other ninja from their own village. That, and all three members have to pass in order to advance.

xxXxx

Soon the Konoha Rookies were all together, working to get their scrolls for their entire year. Then the nin of Sound were there. One's face was mostly covered in bandages, only one eye being seen and he wore a poncho with sleeves long enough to drag. He was hunched over and had a straw cape on is back along with a scarf with snake pattern clothing a drab monotone of color. The second was a girl with very long dark hair with a violet bow near the end (which was close to her ankles, actually), and she had dark eyes, appearing relatively normal as she smirked down at them superiorly. She had legwarmers with the snake pattern to go with her scarf. The third wore a mask- a black one with shiny slits where eyes should be looking out from behind the reflective material and a small musical note where the mouth would be. It covered the girl's- they could tell by the figure and clothing choice- entire head and once that ended, there were bandages on almost all over her body, though they clearly saw her tanned feet with the blue nails- like her two teammates- from under the blue weights that kind of looked like legwarmers. They couldn't see her hands, as the sleeves covered them completely as she held them together, keeping them from sight and like her two teammates- had a snake-patterned scarf (they didn't know, but it covered her seals).

"What do we have here?", the hunched boy began, "And who might you all be?", his voice was gruff but seemed polite enough.

"A nest of Konoha brats!", the dark-haired and eyed girl sneered but winced when a slight hum came from the other girl. "Sorry, Mother…", she mumbled. The other girl nodded. Then the girl smirked again and in the blink of an eye, senbon were thrown with devastating accuracy. The small group at the base of the tree were pinned there. The two in the tree sprung down into action but the boy swung his arm and there was a blast of a wave.

"Is that the best-", then TenTen froze, soon falling to her knees, just as Neji did.

"Dozu,", came a soft voice and the boy looked back at the girl who opened her arms. He was in them quickly, concealing his face even further as Kin collected another scroll, throwing it to the girl, who raised one arm to catch it though her hands were still hidden. The scroll was hidden in one of her sleeves. She pet Dozu a bit more before they left. The teens were quick to pull themselves from the senbon, going to the two fallen teens who clutched at their ears.

xxXxx

Aside from fighting a few horrid behemoths, the group from Oto were bored. They weren't quite ready to go and hand in the scrolls yet though. While Kabuto provided them with the cards, they still wanted to see the others in action- and take out a few opponents while they were at it. Forty-one out of eighty-seven contestants from Konoha were already gone for example, though they left the rookies alone. Not for any real reason other than Mother left them alone. Two from Taki were gone, from either team and thus not letting them continue. The same happened to Kusa. So, none of the sent Kusa or Taki were going to be able to pass. Fifteen from Suna were gone, and seven from Ame cut down the number and soon they were leaving, going back to hand their scrolls over.

But enough of that. They had one month in order to ready themselves for the final stage- and the invasion. Naruko wasn't quite sure how to feel about that. She'd heard her old village was making progress now but…

That won't fix what was already done. But still, Orochimaru promised her friends (nor her ramen people and Iruka) would get hurt, and that children won't be hurt. Instead, they'll be either left here as Orochimaru rebuilt Konoha or taken to Oto or Sunagakure, seeing as the two villages were working together, with the Kazekage from Suna was killed and now Orochimaru took his place.

Unfortunately, Sarutobi was going to die. And while she was sad, she'd been told quite a time ahead that it was one of Orochimaru's goals. She'd had time to accept that. And if, when all was said and done, he got too power-hungry or cruel…

She'd kill him.

xxXxx

"Ah! Sorry,", the pink-haired girl apologized as she bumped into Naruko- who was busy making her way to her favorite ramen shop. She tilted her head to face the girl and nodded. "Um…Where are you going?", she asked then and Naruko pointed. She didn't want to talk to this girl. She always picked on her, calling her cruel things. Though she would live yet, as she was considered a child- moldable. "To the ramen shop? Mind if I join you?", the emerald-eyed girl asked her then and she struggled with herself for a moment before shaking her head, making the girl smile at her kindly.

As they entered, Ayame looked up, smiling at both. "Hi! What can I get you?", Sakura ordered and Naruko said, quite softly.

"Miso…", the girl nodded happily, going to work on the orders.

"So…You were with when we were all pinned.", Sakura began, looking at her sideways. "Are your abilities based on sound too?", she asked, turning in her seat to face her. Naruko contemplated on how to answer.

"It is one of them, yes.", Sakura blinked before smiling again before a few more people came through. It was three of the Suna- the siblings. Gaara ignored them and his sibling, sitting and waiting for his bickering older siblings to order. Sakura felt nervous around them, but continued their conversation as their ramen was set in front of them, looking as the mask was pushed up a bit to uncover her mouth- which was covered by more bandages.

"Why do wear so many bandages?", she asked next, a bit quieter than before though it made no different as they all heard her. Naruko's face turned to hers and she tilted her head to the side again. Then she shrugged, pulling on a few bandages so only her mouth was seen, though she didn't open it yet for fear of the others seeing her teeth. "Okay…But hey, if manipulating sound is only one of your specialties, can you tell me another?', this was asked hesitantly. Sakura was fishing for information on the third from Oto- but considering there were only three- she felt it alright to ask. Once more, Naruko debated with herself. She turned a bit and gently pulled the Samehada from her back. "A sword?", Sakura asked curiously. "It looks kinda wide to be a katana though…"

Once more, Naruko debated with herself, but decided to go on and do it- soon enough, everyone would know of some of her abilities and they didn't know what her Samehada did exactly anyways so it didn't matter. She began unwrapping it, and soon the dangerous, spiked thing was revealed and Sakura gasped at the sight of it. As did Temari and Kankuro while Gaara felt a small spark of interest.

"It was a gift.", she said simply before beginning to wrap it again- but she was quick with it. As she finished her ramen, she began to tighten the few bandages she loosened and slipped her mask back down. "I must leave now. It was nice to…Talk.", Sakura smiled again, still shocked.

"Haruno Sakura.", she offered and Naruko debated on that.

"My village calls me Mother.", and with that, she nodded to the three Suna and went about her merry way.

Gaara's eyes narrowed ever so slightly and no one noticed a bit of sand hide against her, forming an eye.

xxXxx

She went to her final destination- the springs. She made sure to get a private one and looked around, making sure there were no peep-holes before pulling off her leotard, then undoing all the seals and weapons, setting them gently on top of her clothes. She pulled off the weights carefully, making sure not to just drop them lest the small craters appear as she set them next to her clothes and weapons. Next her mask was taken off, letting her long hair tumble down prettily, looking nearly white in the sunlight before she undid her hitai-ate. The next thing, she began to undo her bindings.

When they finally all came off, her full body was revealed; the black stitches, the tanned skin, her whisker-marks and her vivid blue eyes. And she stretched her jaw, revealing her teeth. Then she gave a soft sigh, pulling her hand through her thick hair.

She still wanted to cut it, but she _did_ promise that she would remain Mother as long as her hair was long.

xxXxx

Gaara holed himself away as soon as he saw where she was going but didn't stop looking, taking in the strange black threads that peeked out as though they were stuffed under- but then, he supposed they were as they left the stitching and wove in the air, wiggling happily. One of the strands actually shot out and pulled her hair up as she slipped into the waters. Soon she was singing and while he couldn't hear her, the movements of her mouth told him so. The sudden urge to _hear_ her was squashed with practiced ease. Instead, he continued watching, seeing as she made use of her black threads to massage her shoulders and arms, feet and hands and her back as well. She looked highly content to just lay there for the next however long and keep up with it- in fact, it looked like she was falling asleep, half sprawled on a rock as her limbs soaked in the water. Despite trying not to, he was a teenage boy and the sand-eye traversed the body. Then she flipped over so the strands could massage her hips and stomach. His eye was stuck on her chest. While they were young- (she seemed around his age at least)- she was developing very…_Nicely_.

'_Soft…'_, he thought to himself before shaking himself out of it. He twitched as he looked at her again before recalling his sand-eye.

xxXxx

So far, only he had seen her full face and soon he found out who she really was as the only one with whiskers like that and blue eyes was a girl, formerly from Konoha, named Uzumaki Naruko. Apparently, until she ran people thought she was a boy- and they didn't say anything regarding it, but by the looks, they hadn't treated her way and the reason was glaringly obvious. She was a Jinchuuriki. Once more, he was intrigued. There was no way those threads were there before, and her hair was different from the descriptions- she also didn't have fangs- but she was still the girl. He was also a bit glad (he'd never admit it) that she was on Oto side. Their side, as they worked together to plan the invasion on Konoha. He wanted to talk to her though- about being a jailor. About the hate and fear it garners.

About the loneliness.

xxXxx

The time flew by as they all gathered in the stadium for the competition. Not too much time was spent before people were thrown into battles together. Naruko didn't bother watching much, instead petting Dozu as he leant into her as they sat on the railings, Kin was behind them, cleaning her senbon meticulously. Then she was set against Shikamaru. While she was exceptionally good, and her bell attack was one of her best- she was ultimately defeated. Once more, she had little interest in watching any pursuing battles. Then, after numerous battles that were riveting to everyone else (she didn't see why), her name was called in one of them.

"Inuzuka Kiba vs. Uzumaki Naruko!", the announcement made her and Dozu look up as Kin wished her luck. Instead of taking the stairs, she merely hopped down, landing gracefully. The gasps of the crowd and even the Hokage had no effect on her, and neither did the way Kiba faltered for a moment, stumbling a bit on his way down. She once more folded her arms together, waiting as he got into stance across from her. There was a yell.

"KIBA, MY YOUTHFUL FRIEND!", oh Kami, it was Lee, "NARUKO IS A FEARSOME OPPONENT! DO NOT GET KILLED!"

…

…

…

That was encouraging.

**xxXxxXxxXxxXxxXxx**

OH THE YOUTH! Anyways, first time writing for Naruto. Hope I did well, I even went on Narutopedia for some stuff. Anyways, the whole 'Gaara-chest' thing was because- if you know which I hope you do- Gaara loves boobies.


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